HURON — City councilmembers and staff spent a work session discussing proposed rules for accessory dwelling units (ADUs), focusing on which zones would permit ADUs, unit size and lot-coverage limits, and how the city could enforce new rules; council took no legislative action and instead discussed referring further work to a steering committee or the planning commission.

The discussion centered on whether ADUs should be allowed in R-1 (single-family) zoning or restricted to R-2 and R-3 zones. Mr. Hamilton, city staff, said, "Staff do not recommend doing ADUs in an R-1 district at minimum," and warned that allowing ADUs in R-1 would effectively change R-1 parcels to R-2 for many purposes.

City Planner Matt Waters reviewed an inventory of Ohio cities and a draft worksheet of considerations for drafting ADU legislation. Waters said the draft would treat an ADU as a separate dwelling type with its own setbacks, coverage, and size limits and noted, "There should be only 1 per lot," as a recommended limit.

Why this matters: ADU rules would change zoning practice and could affect neighborhood character, parking and emergency addressing. Councilmembers repeatedly raised enforceability and staffing concerns: how the city would monitor occupancy, verify owner-occupancy, and prevent transient short-term rentals. One councilmember warned, "You're opening up a can of worms. This is gonna be a nightmare to try to enforce," citing limits on staff’s ability to check who lives in a unit.

Key details from the session included staff recommendations and planning considerations. Waters and other staff proposed creating a new code section (referred to in discussion as 11 26 20) defining ADUs as detached units on the same lot as a principal single-family dwelling, with recommended rules such as one ADU per lot, separate exterior entrance for detached ADUs, separate addressing for 911 purposes, and limitations on lot coverage (staff noted a 35% yard-coverage benchmark raised in the discussion). The group compared local practice to nearby Ohio cities: some cities allow ADUs only by conditional use; Lakewood was noted as not allowing ADUs in R-1; Yellow Springs and Westerville allow ADUs conditionally; Cleveland Heights, Dayton and Columbus have considered but not adopted ADU legislation.

Councilmembers discussed square-footage thresholds. Speakers noted R-2 minimum dwelling sizes in current code (participants cited figures around 700–850 square feet and a 150-square-foot difference as significant for some comparisons) and observed that ADU-specific size minimums or maximums would require code amendments.

Enforcement and process questions dominated the conversation. Staff explained the city could require ADU applicants to submit planning, zoning and building plans and that the city could most practically enforce transient-rental restrictions by denying rental-related permits; staff said the city cannot routinely verify who lives in a unit unless a complaint is filed. Waters recommended forming a steering committee of residents and homeowners associations (HOAs) for public input before drafting a final ordinance. Several councilmembers agreed the steering committee or planning commission should refine technical details (setbacks, sizes, coverage) if the council decides to proceed.

State-level uncertainty also was raised: a staff member cautioned that pending state legislation discussed in Columbus might limit local authority to restrict transient rentals, which would affect any local ADU rules. That was cited as a reason to wait for state guidance before finalizing local code changes.

Outcome: No ordinance or formal policy was adopted at the work session. Councilmember Joel (first name only in transcript) moved to adjourn the work session; the motion was approved by roll call and the meeting was adjourned. Councilmembers agreed any formal motion to refer the ADU topic (for example, to a steering committee or to planning commission) should be made at a regular council meeting.

What’s next: Staff and council noted options for next steps include sending the draft guidance to a steering committee composed of residents and HOAs, forwarding the matter to planning commission for ordinance drafting, or awaiting clarifying state legislation before proceeding.